Another Girl, Another Zombie
by CallMeLy
Summary: I know it might be crazy, but did you hear the story? No, not that story. The other one. About the other girl, and the other zombie. A Bronzo one-shot collection all about how their relationship progresses
1. Do You Like-Like the Zombie?

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

Time for the Bronzo one-shot collection~! As I said in Beyond the Barrier, I'll be updating _either_ that _or_ this every other day. And I posted my mutants theory fic, A Zombie History Lesson, which gives some context to some things that are coming up in Beyond the Barrier so if you're reading that, I recommend you read History Lesson too! Now, to Bronzo. This ended up much longer than I thought it would be. We're starting with the story of how Bree first got interested in Bonzo, and this weekend (probably), you can expect the story of how Bonzo first got interested in Bree~

* * *

Do You Like-Like The Zombie?

 _This… is a bad idea…_

Bree's eyes went wide at the mention of spirit sticks. She remembered being told that in an emergency, fire would always, _always_ , scare away a zombie. But that was in an emergency. This was a pep rally, and the zombies, as far as she could tell, had only come to watch like everybody else. What was Bucky's deal? Couldn't he just let them go?

She didn't dare say anything, though. She wasn't about to risk getting kicked off the squad, especially not when she was just a stand-in.

She pushed it to the back of her mind and followed Addison out into the gym, giving her friend a good-luck hug and an encouraging grin before she took her place by the bleachers. As the music started and the cheer squad ran into position, the spirit sticks were forgotten. Despite being stuck on the sidelines, Bree couldn't help cheering along, more for Addy than for the Mighty Shrimps. Somewhere behind her, she heard someone chanting, a deep voice, but certainly enthusiastic. She glanced up into the crowd and among the few zombies dotted around, she recognised the one they'd seen in Zombie Town the night before. Zed, Addison had told her. But he wasn't the one chanting – it was the taller zombie beside him. He was obviously enjoying himself, despite the sour look the girl next to him, another friend of theirs, Bree assumed, was giving him. Something about the scene made Bree giggle to herself.

She turned back to the action, feeling good knowing even the zombies were having fun. Then she was reminded of why she was so worried about them earlier. The spirit sticks.

" _FIRE!_ "

Bree's head snapped back round to the crowd behind her. Every zombie there looked at least a little concerned but the boy who had only a moment ago seemed so happy to be there, was suddenly shaking in fear. Zed had an arm around him, restraining him, and was clearly trying to calm him down but it was no use. He broke out of Zed's grip, knocking him down, and began pushing his way down to the floor. Bree's hands flew to her mouth, her pom-poms partially blocking her view. The boy was terrified and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and even a little guilty. Maybe she _should_ have spoken up when Bucky came up with his plan.

It all went downhill from there. In his blind panic, the zombie boy ran straight through the cheerleaders' path, causing the three boys standing there to flee before they could catch-

"Addy…!" Bree gasped when she saw.

"Addison!" Zed called out at the same time.

His voice was oddly low and gruff, and his eyes looked way too dark. There wasn't much time to think about that, though, as he came crashing down the bleachers and sent the football team flying on his way to catch Addison just in time. The whole room burst into cheers, Zed was taken away by the coach and Bree rushed to Addison's side.

"Addy, oh my _gosh_ , are you OK?" the words came tumbling out, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Bree, I'm fine…" She seemed slightly dazed but otherwise alright. Still, Bree couldn't help fussing a little. Addison's eyes were fixed on the door Zed had walked out of a minute ago. Bree sighed and shook her head, giving her a quick once-over just to make sure, but something was bothering her. She looked around.

The zombie boy was gone.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

First, there had been zombies in the basement, then there were zombies at the pep rally and now, there were zombies in the cafeteria. Things were changing fast and Bree wasn't entirely sure how to take it. It got even more complicated when she noticed Addison staring off into the distance.

"It's Zed…"

Bree followed her gaze to where Zed and his friends sat in the back corner of the room, messing around like any other teenagers. It suddenly clicked in her head.

"Do you like-like him? Do you _like-like_ the zombie?" she whispered, "Wow…"

And yes, that _was_ bad. Possibly dangerous. For a number of reasons. But to Bree, that only meant sticking by Addison, being her friend, keeping her safe. Everything would be fine, as long as this was kept quiet.

"Nothing's going to happen! He probably doesn't even remember my name."

"Addison!"

 _Oh, no…_

Bree looked up in surprise. Not only did he clearly remember her name, he was totally prepared to call it out in the middle of the cafeteria at lunch.

But then the zombie sitting opposite Zed also looked up, right at them, and Bree immediately recognised him as the one who had run from the pep rally. And for a brief second, their eyes met.

Bree flushed and turned back to Addison, hopefully, before he noticed.

 _Don't…_

"Well, I can't be rude…!"

 _Don't…_

… She meant Addison, right? _"Don't"_ as in _"don't go over there"_ , right?

Definitely not _"don't look at him again"_. Because why would she need to tell herself that?

Well.

As she watched Addison stand and make her way to the zombies' table, along with, apparently, the rest of the student body, Bree's eyes slowly shifted back to the zombie boy. Now that he wasn't paying attention to her, she got a good look at him. He was taller than Zed, and Zed was pretty tall, with long, shaggy hair. He didn't wear any jacket or coat made out of the government-mandated uniforms like the others, although he had at the pep rally, as she recalled. The sleeves had been ripped off. She'd noticed. While Zed and Addison talked, Bree watched him pick up the apple peel lying on the table in front of him and craft it into some kind of sculpture, which he presented to Addison. Something fluttered in Bree's heart when she saw the small smile on his face.

Then she blinked and looked down.

She shook her head. Behind her, the Aceys were stepping down from the captains' table and taking the opportunity while they drew everyone's attention, she quietly stood and slipped out of the cafeteria.

In the empty hallway, Bree paced back and forth, her eyes closed, her hands splayed out in front of her, almost looking like Bucky's jazz-hands, and her voice a soft whisper.

"OK, OK, you don't like the zombie, you don't like the zombie, you don't like the zombie…"

She didn't know him. She hadn't talked to him. She couldn't possibly like him. She sighed, stopped pacing and opened her eyes. But ahead of her, she saw Addison, her head down, leave the cafeteria as well. Not quite feeling up to talking about this just yet, Bree turned a corner and waited until Addison was gone.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Bree was practically overflowing with joy when another member of the squad couldn't be at the football game – she was in. She stood next to Addison, smile bright, pom-poms waving, ready to face the fans. True, the team certainly was not the best, but she was _there_. Nothing else mattered. Then, once again, she heard a voice from the bleachers, a much younger one this time.

"Go, Seabrook! Go, Seabrook!"

Bree couldn't help feeling proud of whoever this little girl was. When Bucky wasn't looking, she turned back and scanned the crowd. The little girl was a zombie, held in her father's arms. And right next to her… _him_.

Holding a stuffed dog which, Bree guessed, must have belonged to the little girl.

 _Oh, no…_

" _Go, Seabrook!_ "

As she cheered, the boy lifted up the stuffed dog, waving its paws in time. The same sweet smile graced his features. Bree let out a long sigh.

Why'd he have to be _cute_?

It went on. He was at every game, of course, supporting his friend. He sat with Zed at lunch every day. Always there, in her line of sight. She tried to keep her eyes forward but she somehow found herself twisting round to look at him every time. She started seeing him around the hallways as the zombies were further integrated into the school.

And she seemed to feel _especially_ peppy whenever she saw him.

Eventually, she gave in. She had to know more about him. But she wasn't about to go and walk up to a zombie and start a conversation. Sure, some of the other students did, but those students weren't on the cheer squad. Those students didn't have Bucky and the Aceys watching their every move. At lunch one day, she let Addison see when she quickly glanced over at the zombies' table, although without making it too obvious she was looking at one zombie in particular.

"So… Zed's friends…?"

"What about them?" Addison smiled, oblivious.

"What're they like?"

"They're pretty cool, actually," Addison seemed to brighten up, "Eliza's great with computers and tech and that sort of thing. Zed told me she even hacked her Z-band to play video games on it. She's fun to hang out with once you get to know her. She can be a little intense sometimes, and sarcastic, but she's cool."

Bree nodded, "And… the guy…?"

"Bonzo! He's awesome, he's like a master of art and music, it's insane" if she noticed the smile tugging at the corner of Bree's mouth, she didn't say anything about it, "And he's really positive, too, kinda like you. I've never met a guy that dishes out hugs like Bonzo."

Bree chuckled softly, looking down.

"Bonzo…" she muttered with a smile, tasting the name. She pretended not to see Addison's questioning look, "Uh, so… I know this was weeks ago but I just remembered," that was a lie, she'd been thinking about this the whole time, "He ran off at the pep rally at the start of the year, right? Was… was he OK?"

Addison's face fell.

"Oh… Wow, I totally forgot to ask… I mean, I hope so, he seriously did not deserve that. He's such a sweet guy."

"Is he?" Bree asked, forgetting herself for a brief moment. She tilted her head, unable to stop herself from smiling.

Addison frowned, a smirk appearing on her lips.

"You seem awfully interested in Bonzo."

"What?" Bree's eyebrows shot up for a second and she nervously giggled, "No, I-I was just curious, you know, you're getting really close to Zed and all so I just thought…" she trailed off and Addison propped her chin up on her fist, quirking an eyebrow, "Addy…!"

"Sounds like you've got your eye on your very own zombie."

" _Addy!_ "

Bree gaped at her.

" _Bree!_ " she giggled, but then softened, "It's OK. Look at me, I have Zed. And you have Bonzo."

"I don't _have_ him…"

"Not yet."


	2. I Think That Cheerleader Likes Me

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

I stayed up until 4am last night because I got so into writing this. I honestly thought it was gonna be shorter than the first one but it ended up more than 300 words longer. I have 5 other one-shots planned out for this collection but I might come up with more, and 5 for Beyond the Barrier, too~ I'm tempted to try and update everyday instead of every other day but that might be a bit much so we'll see. Anyway, here's how Bonzo got interested in Bree!

* * *

I Think That Cheerleader Likes Me

 _This… is better than I thought…_

At first, Bonzo felt a little awkward standing amongst the humans at the pep rally. Addison ran out and he smiled at the familiar face, clapping along with everyone else. Bucky burst through a poster of himself and he started to think maybe this could be interesting. Then he heard a voice louder than anyone else coming from the floor below him.

" _Whoo, Addy!_ "

He craned his neck ever so slightly to see who it was. A girl in a cheer uniform stood in front of the bleachers, waving her pom-poms. He wondered for a moment why she wasn't out on the floor with the rest of the squad, but it didn't really matter. Like Zed would say only a moment later, cheer's contagious. Her wide grin, bouncing ponytail and pure enthusiasm were certainly working wonders. Bonzo couldn't help joining in with a cheer of his own. Who would have known he'd find himself having fun at a pep rally? He brushed off Eliza's snark easily, too busy enjoying himself to care. The cheerleader – the one on her own – kept shouting and hollering, if anything, getting more excited as it went on.

It all came crashing down when he saw those sparks, though.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Things seemed to be looking up the following day. To everyone's surprise, Zed had somehow convinced Principal Lee to let them into the cafeteria with the human students. When the patrol officer opened that door, he was in awe.

The room was buzzing with conversations, bustling with people, with humans, everywhere he looked. Sure, some of them gave them funny looks, but Bonzo hardly noticed. And the first table they passed was the cheer squad's.

He spotted her straight away, the girl from the pep rally, but now she looked much less… _peppy_. But then again, this wasn't a pep rally. She wasn't exactly going to be bouncing and cheering at lunch. As he walked by her with the rest of the zombies, she dropped her eyes to the tray in front of her but he smiled nonetheless. It was nice to see her, nice to be able to recognise someone (besides Addison) in a sea of strangers. He smiled all the way to the designated zombies' table in the far corner.

It didn't take long for Bonzo to turn to stimming, juggling apples and playing around with the peelings, which made excellent crafting materials for mini sculptures. For a brief few seconds, he forgot about the girl sitting somewhere behind him, until Zed stopped and looked past him.

"Addison!"

The room went quiet. Turning in his seat, Bonzo fully intended to find out how Addison would react, but instead he found himself staring at the girl beside her.

Their eyes met and he felt a jolt, not so much of discomfort, as per usual for him, but of _what_ , he wasn't quite sure. Before, at the rally, he had only really seen her from behind, just her profile at most, and it wasn't much different when he walked in only minutes ago. But now, he could take a good look at her face.

She was pretty. Beautiful, even.

Silky black hair fell from a ribbon-tied ponytail onto her shoulders, a stark contrast to the bright pink and white of her cheer uniform. Her dark skin looked soft to the touch and her eyes were round with concern, maybe even fear, behind her glasses, and he wished he could see those eyes filled with the joy she cheered with the day before.

Bonzo felt his heart thud and _that_ … was not normal. Even if zombies did still have something of a heartbeat, it was meant to be slow and quiet. It definitely did _not_ thud. But he felt it pound. And heard it. And the strange thing was, that didn't worry him one bit. She looked away all too soon and yet that just made it faster.

 _Please, just look at me again._

Then Addison was up out of her seat and walking over to their table and Bonzo was distracted with the potential new friend.

 _And Addison is_ _friends with_ her _…_

He stopped himself right there. He'd want to be friends with Addison regardless. If it gave him a chance of talking to this other girl, well, that was just a bonus. And Addison really was a nice person. She had taken the time to look up some Zombie-tongue in order to properly welcome them, even if she had completely butchered it. It was way better than anything any of the other humans had done, which was… nothing, really.

He hoped beyond hope _she_ would be the same.

With a reassuring smile, he presented Addison with a small thank-you gift; a rose made from the apple peels. His smile grew as she accepted it but suddenly she was being dragged away by three other cheerleaders and his apple rose was dropped onto the table. He looked down at it, dejected, and sighed. So much for that. Bonzo turned back to the cheerleaders' table only to find the other girl had vanished. He frowned and took a sweeping glance across the cafeteria.

 _There._

He only just caught sight of her hurrying out of a door on the other side. Where was she going? Was it something to do with the cheerleaders who took Addison away? Was she upset? Once more, his heartrate jumped just the slightest bit. How was he already worried for this girl? He hadn't even spoken to her yet.

Yet. Because he was adamant he would. Someday.

He turned back again.

"Geh, Zedka…?"

Then stopped. Zed was still watching Addison. He was thinking, considering something. When she finally turned and went to leave the cafeteria (through the same door as her friend, Bonzo noticed), Zed stood up, taking the apple rose with him as he followed her out. Bonzo opened his mouth to speak again but nothing came. All he did was turn to watch him go.

 _Could you give me some of that confidence, too?_

If nothing else, he just wanted to know her name…

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

She was there again, on the ground in front of the bleachers, this time with the rest of the cheer squad, at an actual football game. Zed's first game.

It wasn't going well.

Bonzo shuddered as Zed was tackled into the ground again. Looking down at Zander in his hands, he covered his eyes. Just because he was a stuffed animal didn't mean he had to witness that. Beside him, Zoey, ever the little optimist, had her own thoughts on the action.

"At least the cheerleaders are amazing!"

As she broke into a cheer, Bonzo waved Zander's paws. She was right, they were. One in particular.

 _Two. Remember Addison._

"We don't clap for cheerleaders," Eliza said, shutting them both down. Bonzo pulled Zander closer.

Technically, he hadn't been _clapping_ , but he didn't say anything.

And anyway, he thought, his eyes wandering back down to the ground, he could have sworn he saw her glance up at him then.

It was halftime, and the cheerleaders all turned to face the crowd while the team retreated off of the field. This time, Bonzo got to watch her cheer, right in front of him, with her whole team. He could tell she was ecstatic to finally join them. Zoey, ignoring Eliza, pumped her arms, chanting along with them as best she could. Taking it as the perfect excuse, Bonzo brought Zander up again, a wide grin on his face, but when he tried to catch the cheerleader's eye, she turned her head. He frowned. That… that meant she'd already been watching him, didn't it? That meant she was looking at him, and didn't want him to know, right? So she quickly looked away again.

Just like in the cafeteria.

The next game, she did it again. And the next. She was definitely looking at him. And every single time, Bonzo smiled to himself. Her bubbliness was contagious. It wasn't just the cheering, it was _her_.

Zed was seriously picking up on the football field, and of course, Bonzo was proud of his friend. Unbelievably proud. More than that, with Zed's winning streak, the zombies were getting more and more access and acceptance at Seabrook High. Bonzo had finally gotten into music class and things couldn't get much better. And on top of all that, he wasn't just seeing her at games or in the cafeteria now, but in the halls, in the library, outside before and after school. She seemed to avoid him for the most part but it was becoming more and more obvious that she would look at him when she thought he wouldn't notice. Every time he caught her, she would turn away, drop her eyes to her desk, strike up a conversation with someone nearby, but he saw. He saw the way she bit her lip trying to stop herself smiling. And he kept finding himself doing the exact same thing.

He couldn't take it anymore, he needed to know something, _anything_ about her. He watched her hurry past him after the last bell one day, on her way to cheer practice, he guessed. She was never more excited for anything than she was for cheer. She had a real passion for it, just like Bonzo did for his art and music. Once she was out of sight, he turned and raced off himself.

He found Zed at a table by the lockers, going over notes from some class while he waited for Bonzo and Eliza. Bonzo brought his hands down hard on the table in front of him, making Zed jump slightly.

"Zedka!"

"Jeez, Bonz, don't do that…!"

Bonzo didn't respond, he just leaned forward on his forearms.

"Addiska garzen."

"Her friend…?"

"Za," he nodded, "Deh greeska garzen."

"What about her?" Zed asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Agru goro?" _Who is she?_

"Uh…" he shook his head, thinking, "Her name's Bree."

 _Bree…_

"Zet grozig?" _Anything else?_

Zed shrugged, "That's pretty much all I know. I haven't been able to talk to Addy all that much lately, so."

With a sigh, Bonzo pulled out a chair opposite Zed and sat down to wait with him. He rested his head in one hand and drummed on the table with the other. Zed raised an eyebrow.

"Why you asking about Bree?"

Bonzo glanced up, then back down again and bit his lip.

"Agru zu ag aza," _she keeps looking at me_ , "Garzedd-zig, agru garziga'g…" _I think she might like me…_

"And…?" Zed leaned closer, suddenly interested, "You like her?"

Bonzo shrugged, then gave a small nod, "Groz."

"Kinda?" Zed smirked

"Zon garzalk."

"So desperate to know anything about her, and you haven't even talked to her. Wow," Zed chuckled, taking a light shove from Bonzo, "Ha… what d'you think Eliza's gonna say when she finds out we both like humans?"

" _Greeska_ , zet!" _Cheerleaders, even!_

"Man, she is _not_ gonna be happy."

Maybe they didn't have to mention Bree to Eliza just yet.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

This was it, the homecoming game. It wasn't going as well as their past games, but Bonzo trusted that Zed could turn it around. He had before and he could do it again. The coach called timeout and the cheerleaders turned around.

" _Be aggressive, let's be aggressive!"_

He grinned at Bree. Somehow, it made him happier to watch her knowing her name.

 _Breeska. Breeska greeska…_

He'd already caught himself echoing it under his breath a couple of times.

He was stirred from his thoughts when Addison took the lead.

"Gimme a 'zom'!"

"ZOM!" he shouted along.

"Gimme a 'bie'!"

"BIE!"

Bucky stopped her. Whatever he said to her, though, it just made her more persistent. She pushed him away and Bonzo, ever watchful, noticed Bree nod proudly.

Addison called out her cheer again, ignoring Bucky's reprimands. Bree was beaming.

"What does that spell?!"

"ZOMBIE!"

" _What does that spell?!_ "

"You're off the team, you _freak_!"

Everyone heard that. Bonzo gaped for a second and scowled, letting out a low growl. But then Bree was beside her and his eyes widened.

"Go, zombies! GO, ZED!"

He stared at Bree. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He eagerly threw up his arms and cheered with the others.

"You're off the squad, too!"

Bonzo didn't get a chance to be mad at Bucky, because Bree was shaking her head dismissively and hugging Addison and they were bouncing and cheering together regardless.

She'd sacrificed her spot on the squad, the most important thing in the world to her, as far as he knew, not only to support Addison, or Zed, but all of the zombies as well.

And someday, _someday_ , he was gonna talk to her.


	3. Someday

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

If you didn't see this on the new Beyond the Barrier story - I'm probably gonna start updating the collections daily, Beyond the Barrier on even numbered days and Another Girl, Another Zombie on odd. I might take a break here and there if I need to, but hopefully I can stick to it

Not too much to say on this one, really. Bonzo and Bree both get their someday...

* * *

Someday

"Seabrook's up next!"

Bonzo's head snapped up at the sound of Bree's voice. He didn't have time to let her distract him right now, though, and he followed the others out from under the bleachers.

No sabotage. That was a good thing, but he didn't expect that to be the end of it. And it certainly wasn't. The cheer squad, quite literally, fell apart with only half their members and when it seemed like all hope was lost, their little zombie angel appeared. Zoey waved her makeshift pom-poms and jumped and shouted but it wasn't enough.

Bree's heart sank. This sweet little girl was trying her hardest to help. She didn't deserve to be booed like that. Still, she was persistent.

"What is she _doing_?"

"She's changing things," Addison mused, "… By cheering."

It sounded like a good idea. In theory, at least.

"Like they'll ever see us as normal."

"They won't. Because we're not normal."

Bonzo gave a small nod of agreement and looked down to where Bree stood. She also turned from Zed with an assured smile. Their eyes met and for once, neither of them looked away.

"You guys in?"

" _Za!_ "

Bree's smile grew wider.

Bucky or no Bucky, they were going to cheer, no matter what. With Captain Zoey at the forefront, this was going to be Seabrook High School's legacy.

Eliza, with nothing but a quick nudge to Bonzo's arm, rushed back to her sabotage setup. He followed behind her, giving her a confused look.

"Elizaka, gozig…?"

"Here," she unplugged a few cords and handed them over, along with her laptop, "Hook this up to the sound system. You saw where it was, right?"

He nodded and took them from her without another word.

The other zombies were being run through the routine. They only had however long it took Bonzo to get the music started. Scanning the crowd, his eyes fell on the one who started it all.

"Zoeka!"

Zoey turned to him, fiddling with the whistle around her neck. He leaned down, handing her one of Eliza's cords, and pointed to the sound technician. More specifically, to his equipment. Zoey nodded, understanding immediately, and took the cord from him, sneaking under the table with ease. Bonzo, trusting her to take care of it, turned to the group.

"Geh," the zombies turned to him, prompting the humans to stop and look, too, "Goro zu gruzic?"

 _Who's got the music?_

After some muttered translations, a hand came up.

"Oh! I do, here!"

It was Bree. Bonzo swallowed.

She walked over to him way too eagerly for someone just giving him the track to play. Clearly, the situation was giving her something of a confidence boost. It was working on Bonzo as well.

He _had_ sworn to himself he would talk to her someday. It looked like this was it.

"Breeska…"

"Yeah, uh," she let out a surprised laugh, "That's… You know my name?"

He nodded, glancing over to Zed briefly, "Zedka… ag egrall." _Zed told me._

She could guess what he'd said. He must have asked about her, and just the thought made Bree giddy. For a moment, she couldn't help but just smile up at him – _wow_ , was he tall– but she quickly remembered what they were doing here and shook herself out of it. Bonzo hardly noticed; he was as entranced as she was. He was stirred out of his own daze by Bree handing him her phone.

"They said we're using _Fired Up_ ," she reached across and opened the music app to show him, "This one. It might be a little long for the time limit though so-"

Bonzo held up a hand.

"Grag ag grep." _I'll handle it._

She didn't know what he said, but Bree watched him connect the phone up to the computer and open up a couple of programs. She knew she should probably get back to the others, they'd need help teaching the zombies the routine in what time they had, but… she was intrigued. It didn't take long for her to figure out what he wanted to do. With Bree guiding him in where to cut and edit, Bonzo remixed the track into a more acceptable length, and in record time. At some point, Zoey reappeared and Bonzo handed her another cord, this time pointing to the speakers and sending her off again.

Focused on the screen now, Bonzo didn't see Bree step back and lean against the wall behind her, content to watch him work. More than content, in fact. She was amazed by how easy he made it look. Her hand came to her heart and she sighed softly. He glanced back at her and she froze. A second passed.

He smirked and turned back to the computer.

It took everything Bree had in her not to giggle or melt into a puddle or just… _die_ right there on the spot. Luckily, a welcome distraction came when Addison placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile.

"Bree, I think this is your chance. We need another flyer."

Bree's face broke out into an ecstatic grin. She hadn't expected the someday Addy had promised her not even half an hour ago would come this quick. She clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. He didn't say anything, but Bonzo heard and felt a surge of happiness for her. He heard something else too, in Addison's hushed voice, that made him blush.

"You having fun over here?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow and nodding at Bonzo. Bree's eyes bulged, and she shot her friend a look of 'don't you _dare_!'. Still, her anger didn't last long. She could finally be about to fly, and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She linked her fingers with Addison's and they bounced together excitedly.

Bree, facing away from him now, didn't see the way Bonzo turned and gazed up at her. It was just like when he first saw her, a glimpse at her joy from behind, only a much shorter distance apart. She called out a goodbye to him, which he didn't even get a chance to respond to, and ran off to join the group. Before following her, Addison gave him a knowing look, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms. She wore a devious smile.

"What was all that about, huh?"

Bonzo tried, and failed, to brush it off, avoiding her eyes and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Gozig?"

"Oh, you know what."

Her smile didn't waver and Bonzo chose to take that as a good sign. Addison hurried away and he returned to the music, feeling oddly light. The final touches were made, and he knew Bree would let the team know about the changes. Zed shot him a glance and gave him a thumbs-up.

 _Ready._

He hit play, the stage came to life and Bonzo edged closer to get a better look. He was proud of his friends, of Zed, of Eliza, of Zoey and Addison. But his eyes kept drifting back to Bree.

He was shocked, to say the least, when he saw Bucky join in as zombies somersaulted across the stage. Like he wanted to be part of them. Like he was one of them. Maybe things were getting better after all. He was sure of it once he saw Bucky take Bree's pom-poms from her and literally give up his spotlight to her. The look on her face was everything.

This was it. This was her chance.

And, he realised, his chance.

As she was pulled to the back of the stage and lifted up, Bonzo found it practically impossible to let this moment go. He ran out.

And caught her.

Bree's hand flew to her chest when she saw him, still feeling his arms around her. Neither one of them could look away. It didn't matter that everyone around them was cheering, as far as Bonzo and Bree knew, it was just them.

"… _Graceful_ … Breeska…"

"Aw…!" she really felt like she was about to melt, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!"

Bonzo took Bree's hand, twirled her around and, suddenly feeling bold, blew her a kiss. With a gasp, she pretended to catch it, like she wanted to keep it forever. In an instant, they remembered where they were and separated, running off.

On opposite sides of the stage, a zombie and a cheerleader took a second or two to catch their breath, both thinking to themselves, _I can't believe that just happened_.


	4. Not Your Average Guy

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

Y'know, I never used to write romance. I even specifically said on _at least_ one occasion that I do not write romance. I did write a couple fics that were related to ships but they weren't really romance stories. _What has Bronzo done to me?_

If you haven't read the last Beyond the Barrier, I've been coming up with name headcanons for background zombies, I mention one here (Roz) and yes, if you look at both her and Bree, they have switched jackets at the block party. I had noticed Bree and some other humans wearing zombies' jackets but I was thinking Bree might have got it from Bonzo, then I noticed Roz wearing a pink jacket, the same one Bree wore at the cheer championship, so there you have it (Btw all my name headcanons are on my Tumblr so if you want to know who's who, it's listed on my profile~) This one-shot also sort of matches up with the one over on Beyond the Barrier, and there'll be another matching pair coming soon. Now, prepare yourself for Zeddison parallels

It's almost 2am, I got so into this, I didn't think it would be half this long...

* * *

Not Your Average Guy

They'd taken the first step with the cheer championship.

Even if they hadn't won, humans and zombies had truly come together for the first time and it opened a door – quite literally, too, when the barrier was opened a few weeks later.

As the mayor, Addison's mother had managed to pull a few strings and make a case for the zombies' rights. A lot of the laws and regulations were still in place, but changes were being made here and there, like the fact that zombies could now keep pets, some public spaces in Seabrook were open to them and the curfew wasn't quite so strict as before; they didn't have to stay indoors after dark anymore, but they did have to return to Zombie Town then, and the humans, who were showing up there from time to time, were to leave by sunset.

It was slow, but they were making progress.

That wasn't the only first step taken at the cheer championship, though. Since then, Bonzo and Bree had seen a lot of each other around school. Considering how Zed and Addison's relationship was progressing, it was inevitable, really. With some help with translating from Zed and Eliza, and Addison, as well, with what little Zombie-tongue she has picked up so far, they'd even talked. But it was always around the others. The moment they had shared at the competition was, thus far, the only real shot at privacy they had been given.

But Bonzo had a plan.

That weekend, there was going to be a block party in Zombie Town, and the humans of Seabrook were invited. It was obvious that he should ask Bree to be his date, but there was something bigger beyond that.

If it had worked for Zed, it could work for him, too.

Asking her was the first step. And it didn't take many words to do it. Bree was already excited about the new experience and a couple of days before the party, she was sitting beside Addison in the school cafeteria, where humans and zombies were now free to mix and mingle, with no restricted seating arrangements. Zed sat on Addison's other side, with Eliza and Bonzo opposite them. The two cheerleaders were going over their plans for the upcoming party, with Zed chipping in every now and then with some tips on zombie customs. Eliza was still getting used to the new level of perkiness and remained silent as she ate. Bonzo, however, had his attention split between the conversation and the apple and knife in his hands. He was waiting for just the right time…

"You know," Addison was saying, "I… kinda expected you to _get a date_ , too, Bree."

Though it was addressed to her friend, Bonzo could practically _feel_ Addison's eyes on him but when he lifted his head, taking the chance while it was there, his eyes stayed stuck on Bree. Addison glanced at her, then back at him, motioning for her to look. When she did, Bonzo smiled.

"Breeska…" he had her full attention as he brought his cupped hands forward, "Zu ru."

 _For you._

He opened his hands to reveal a rose carved from the apple – not made from the peelings like the one he had given to Addison some time ago, but actually carved into the apple itself. It was so intricately detailed and Bree let out a soft gasp as she gently took it from him. The whole table went quiet for a few seconds, watching, until Zed worked up the nerve to ask.

"Wait… Are you doing what I think you're doing?" the corner of his mouth quirked in a small smile.

Bonzo didn't take his eyes off Bree, he just nodded.

"Are you…?" she squeaked, just to be sure, and he nodded again.

Bree's face broke into a grin as she looked back at him and she could only nod in return. Wanting to take a step further than the cheer championship, Bonzo took her hand and kissed it sweetly, making her blush.

Eliza's eyes widened and she looked to Zed and Addison, pointing at the lovestruck pair beside her.

"Did that just happen? Is this real?" she turned back to them, though they hardly noticed, "You two are finally gonna stop tip-toeing around your feelings and go on a date? Bonzo, you just asked her out. You actually just asked a girl out. With a _fruit sculpture_ ," she held her head in her hands, "Zed, I can't take this, our little boy's growing up."

While Zed and Addison chuckled at Eliza's rambling, Bonzo and Bree were still in their own little world. After a moment, Bree finally looked down at the rose, admiring Bonzo's work.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Onto step two.

The block party was in full swing. It was strange to have a crowd of humans joining the zombies in the street but really, it showed promise. And that was what mattered.

Bree watched Addison walk over to Zed, the puppy she had brought for Zoey sitting comfortably in her arms, and took in the sight of the busy Zombie Town street in the daylight. She'd only been here once before, and that was on a peaceful night that Bucky had wanted to disturb. This was much better. She felt a lot more at ease here now.

She felt a presence behind her and a large hand slipped into her own, spinning her around so that she found herself looking up at Bonzo's bright smile. She giggled.

"Hi!"

In place of a greeting, he pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground for a moment or two. She let out a small shriek in surprise, but she wasn't about to complain. Once she was back on her feet, Bonzo took her hand again and showed her around, introducing her to a few other zombies. Some people were switching jackets, pastel pinks and blues on zombies and dark reds, greens and greys on humans, and one zombie – Roz – offered her red short-sleeved shirt to Bree. With a glance at Bonzo, Bree shed her pink jacket and handed it over. He couldn't help but feel reassured seeing her interact with a friend of his like that. And now, it was like she was part of his world.

As if she wasn't already.

Soon, Bree noticed a gathering of zombies walking some humans through a dance. When she asked Bonzo what it was, he just smiled and took her over to join them. He stepped back and watched as she followed along. Eliza appeared beside him.

"How's it going?"

"Grodge." _Good._

"Thought so," she smirked, "You wanna go set up? I'll keep Bree busy."

Bonzo shot her a grateful look and headed for the sound system he and Eliza had ready, holding up a finger to Bree when she saw him leaving. _One minute._ She waved and turned back to the group.

A couple of minutes passed and Bree and Eliza were talking on a porch when the air was filled with music – a low bassline, gradually building up. Eliza hopped off the porch, other zombies surrounding her as she began to dance and rap. Bucky and the Aceys joined them and Bree, along with the rest of the crowd, just couldn't resist. It turned into something of a dance battle, Zed and the humans against Addison and the zombies. Bree and Bonzo didn't take their eyes off each other, and then they were dancing side by side, like her new zombie friends had taught her. When it ended, he hugged her again. Addison was right, no-one dished out hugs like Bonzo, and Bree felt so comfortable in his arms. Like when he had caught her.

… Zed had caught Addison once, too. At the pep rally.

 _Now look at them,_ Bree thought, taking note of how happy they looked together, then turned her attention to the zombie boy beside her, _and look at us…_

Addison had Zed. And Bree had Bonzo.

The party went on and at some point, Zed called Bonzo over. He looked down at her apologetically but she placed a hand in his arm.

"It's OK."

Bree ended up finding Addison and Eliza. Somewhere on the other side of the street, though, Bonzo was putting the next step of his plan into action, scribbling down a note (in English, writing English was certainly easier than speaking it). Zed peered over his shoulder, reading, and quirked an eyebrow.

"You're stealing my ideas now?"

Bonzo shrugged, "Varkra zu ru, za?" _It worked for you, didn't it?_

Zed couldn't deny that. Bonzo folded up the note into an origami flower and Zed scoffed jokingly.

"And Addy only got a bird."

Bonzo shoved him but he just laughed.

"I'm guessing I'm the messenger boy this time?"

Bonzo handed him the note without a word.

Zed nonchalantly wondered passed the girls on his way to the food table, giving them a nod.

"Ladies…" He dropped the note in Bree's hands and winked at Addison.

"Open it!" she told Bree excitedly, guessing what was going on, and she did. Addison and Eliza leaned in to read it as well.

 _Stay with Addiska when the party's over. I've got something to show you. Bonzo x_

Bree frowned and looked at her friend, who only grinned back at her.

"Really? Again?" Eliza rolled her eyes and turned to shout at him across the crowd, "It's called a _zombie_ mash for a reason!"

Bonzo pretended not to hear. She wasn't entirely serious, anyway.

The block party was ending a short while before curfew, and the zombies had an after-party mash planned. Addison had been granted special permission (from Zed) to attend and, evidently, so had Bree.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

As the last of the humans filed out through the barrier, Missy and Dale quickly reminded their daughter and her friend not to stay too long. They both nodded and once her parents were satisfied and leaving, Addison led Bree towards the old power plant. The others had gone to get ready for the mash and Zed and Bonzo were waiting for them at the entrance.

Addison took Zed's hand and they went inside. Bree felt herself grow nervous – it wouldn't be much longer until the sun would set, and she hadn't actually been inside any of the buildings in Zombie Town yet, let alone the plant where the outbreak started.

"Ru grodge?"

She understood enough to know he was asking if she was OK and she nodded. Bonzo held out a hand. She took it, feeling herself relax, and he led her inside, meeting Zed and Addison in the elevator. Bonzo didn't let go of her hand the entire time. Not until the doors opened and she stepped out into the sea of lights and colour, music and dancing. She gazed at the zombie-made lighting fixtures, the repurposed equipment from the plant, the painted murals, in total awe.

 _Wait a minute._

The murals looked familiar. An awful lot like the painting she had seen outside Bonzo's house at the block party.

"Did…" she turned to him, pointing at one on the elevator door as it closed, "Did you paint those?"

"… Za…" he shrugged, trying to remain modest.

"They are _beautiful_ , Bonzo."

He smiled and grabbed her hand again, "Gazar." _Thanks._

They walked across the floor to the DJ's booth – _his_ booth. As he took off his coat and got to work, Bree took in the view. She saw Addison, Zed and Eliza on the dance floor with some of the other zombies she had met earlier. Then Bonzo slowly brought the volume down on whatever generic playlist had been on while he was away and, as if Bree wasn't impressed enough already, he pulled a lever, flipped a few switches and picked up a microphone. A puff of smoke shot from a pipe behind them. Lights flickered and the voices of the zombies began to rise with anticipation.

"Gruzic…"

She glanced back at Bonzo. She hadn't seen him like this before, in control, unwavering and so, _so_ confident. At first, she barely even noticed Zed and the others making their way across the dance floor. He pressed a headphone to his ear and, realising her eyes were still on him, he winked at her. Bree felt her heart skip a beat.

She forced herself to look away from him and watch the zombies (and Addison) dancing. This was the same song they had danced to at the block party, but now she was hearing it in a completely different way, how it was really meant to be. And somehow, she felt there was a lot more to the song than being just another party track.

It wasn't much longer before Addison dragged her out of the booth and onto the dance floor with the rest of them, leaving Bonzo grinning. Eliza threw an arm over her shoulder.

" _I'm about to show you!_ "

" _Whatcha gonna show me?_ "

" _Guess nobody told you._ "

" _Girl, you don't know me!_ "

" _I'm about to put in work, listen, this is our turf!_ "

She could still see Bonzo, and he was still watching her. She was dancing with zombies, staring at a zombie boy, in Zombie Town. She never would have thought she'd be here.

The song ended and Bonzo put the playlist on again before making his way over to Bree. She couldn't stop herself running up to him, closing the distance between them with a hug. In a rush of adrenaline, he picked her up and swung her around. Bree laughed as he put her down again and bounced on the spot, filled with so much pep she didn't know what else to do.

"That was _amazing_!"

He ducked his head but couldn't hide his smile. He looked past her, towards a doorway to another room, then back at her.

"Grozig, zet." _There's something else._

The final step. Yet again, he took her by the hand and led her away from the crowd.

Alone.

They entered the light garden and Bree was stunned by the sight of it. She let go of Bonzo's hand and he stood back to watch her wander around, loving the serene expression on her face. Then she looked up at mural on the wall and smiled back at him. She sat down on the platform in the centre of the room and pointed to the painting.

"Another one of yours?"

Bonzo sat down beside her, not quite touching, but his arm came behind her back and he could've sworn she leaned into him, just a little.

"Za…"

There was a pause as she tilted her head, taking in the painting. Bonzo couldn't take his eyes off her. She turned to him and he looked down.

"You spend a lot of time here, huh?"

He nodded, "Za."

"You guys can really make things your own," she mused, "And… you're so good at it. You're so talented, Bonzo."

She laid a hand on his arm.

"Ru, zet, Breeska," _you are, too, Bree_ , she seemed to understand that, "Ru…" he thought for a moment, "… You're perfect."

She let out a light, surprised laugh, "Bonzo…"

He could kiss her. He _could_. They were alone. They were close. Sitting like this, he only had to lean down the slightest bit. The moment seemed right. But right as they were both closing their eyes-

"Bree…?" Addison appeared, and immediately knew she had interrupted. Bonzo and Bree both turned to look at her but neither one of them even tried to look as though it wasn't obvious what they were doing, "Sorry… It's sunset, we gotta go before they close the gate."

She slowly edged back towards the door, beckoning Bree to come.

Bonzo sighed, watching Addison go, and stood up. He expected Bree to follow her straight away but then he felt a hand on his face and lips against his cheek, just for the briefest moment, and he turned back to her just as she hopped off the platform. Standing on there, she could easily reach. Her hand lightly brushed down his face as she went and he stared, his mouth hanging open, as she walked backwards to the door so he could still see her bright, sunny smile outshining the entire light garden. She pressed a few kisses to her fingers and blew them to him, then clasped her hands together under her chin.

"This was amazing…!" she called as she left, "See you at school Monday, Bonzo!"

Another step further.


	5. A Rich Language

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

Ok, I'm really sorry for how late this is...! I took a break on the day I was originally gonna post this because I started feeling like I wanted something else to happen first but I could not think of any ideas so I gave myself the day to think about it. Then I decided to just go with this original idea anyway but it was taking me so long, I was literally falling asleep writing last night so I had to put off finishing it until now. This is now the longest one-shot in AGAZ, and possibly in both of the ZOMBIES one-shot collections...? I've had the two headcanons involved in this one for ages. And I did not stop to consider how hard it might be to try writing an actual two-way conversation entirely in Zombie but it was necessary

I'm switching round the upload schedule after this, BtB will be updated on odd-numbered days and this will be updated on even. And now, some very sweet (I hope) Bronzo-y goodness~

* * *

A Rich Language

" _He only speaks Zombie-tongue. I don't really know why, he can understand English fine. But he doesn't speak it."_

Addison had warned Bree of the potential one-sided language barrier not too long after first hearing about her friend's crush. And Bree had been thinking about it. A lot. Probably more than she needed to. They had shared a moment at the cheer championship, she was sure of that, and it hadn't been too much of a problem. And at the moment when it really mattered, when he really wanted and _needed_ her to understand, he spoke in English. Just one word, but it had filled Bree with so much happiness to hear.

"Graceful."

She never would have thought one single word could make her feel like that. Someone, anyone, calling her "graceful" was guaranteed to lift her spirits higher than any cheer, but coming from him… and especially since it was, as far as she could tell, so rare for him to speak English, it made her feel like she was walking on air.

Their first date had been incredible. They had spent _hours_ together. Hours dancing, laughing and talking. Even if she didn't always know what he was saying, what he was thinking and feeling always came across crystal clear through his actions. And despite the fact they had been side-by-side for almost the entire afternoon right into the evening, Bree still couldn't help but feel it had been cut way too short by that pesky sunset curfew.

He had done it again, just seconds before they ran out of time. Saying something so sweet and so genuine out of the blue, in English, was something special.

"You're perfect."

But she wanted to return the favour. And makes things easier for him. If this was going to get anywhere, Bree decided she had to put in some effort.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

The Monday morning after the block party, and their date, Bonzo had greeted her in the hall with another lifted-of-the-floor hug, making her laugh out loud. Zed settled for throwing an arm over Addison's shoulder and pulling her close. He leaned down.

"Well, they seem happy."

Addison could only grin in reply and rest her head on his chest as she watched Bonzo gently lower Bree back down again. Eliza, leaning against the lockers with her arms folded, tried to look indifferent but the small smile playing on her lips betrayed her. The bell rang before anything else could be said and Zed, kissing Addison's cheek, and Bonzo, kissing Bree's hand, headed off to class. Addison, having to be halfway across the school, took off with a quick "bye!" called over her shoulder. Neither Bree nor Eliza had far to go and walked together. Bree, however, was feeling a little anxious. Not about Eliza, they had spent some time bonding at the block party, after all, but about what she was going to ask her. She was trying to find a way to bring it up when Eliza spoke up instead.

"So… I heard you and Bonzo were getting pretty cozy in the light garden at the zombie mash."

Bree, eyes wide, stared at Eliza, who chuckled at her expression.

"Did he tell you that, or did Addy…?" she asked with a small cringe.

"Both. Although, Addison wanted to leave out the part where she interrupted your almost-kiss."

Bree would have inwardly groaned at that, if not for the fact that Bonzo, apparently, had been talking about her. And just the mention of it brought back the memory. Bree's face broke into a smile and she looked down, but Eliza saw and nudged her.

"Somebody's got it bad, huh?"

Bree blushed and both girls giggled, but a moment later, Bree's giggling faded.

"Um… Eliza, can I ask you a favour…?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Could you teach me some Zombie-tongue?"

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

"OK. Let's get the basics out of the way."

It was the end of the school day and Bree and Eliza had found a spot to work in the library. They told Addison, Zed and Bonzo that they were working on a project together and insisted they head home without them. Bonzo had lingered back for just a second and waved at Bree with a soft smile before turning to follow Zed and Addison. Eliza had to snap her fingers in front of Bree's face to get her attention back on the matter at hand.

Now, the two of them were sitting at a desk in a corner behind the bookshelves. Not everyone in the library would be happy to see a zombie there, and Eliza decided she'd prefer to keep any conflict to a minimum while she was trying to help out her friend. As she pulled out a notepad and a pen, she began explaining.

"Zombie-tongue sounds pretty complicated, but it's really not. It doesn't have such a strictly defined set of rules like English and most of the time, you go with whatever is physically easiest to say. The first zombies made the language to be easier on loose jaws and tight muscles, plus slower brain activity. They didn't have Z-bands back then, all of that stuff was still being developed, so the zombies couldn't talk, but once they started tests for cures, they could at least make some kind of noise that sounded close enough for it to make a language. Most of us don't need to rely so much on Zombie-tongue anymore since we got the Z-bands. Bonzo's just… one of the few that has a little trouble…" she trailed off, unsure of whether or not to say anything else on the subject.

Bree cocked her head, "Why is that?"

Eliza paused, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"I… don't really think it's my place to tell you that. You should really hear it from him first," then, when she noticed Bree's discouraged look, she quickly added, "But, look, this thing you guys got going on? It's going pretty well. Better than I thought it would. Like, Bonzo really likes you, OK? _Really_ likes you. You'll know about all that stuff eventually. But doing this is gonna be a big help. You have no idea how much this'll mean to him."

Bree gave her a grateful smile and with that, they got to work.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

A couple of weeks had passed and somehow Bree and Bonzo still hadn't quite progressed past the whole more-than-friends-but-not-quite-girlfriend-and-boyfriend stage of their relationship. They had been on another date, at least, a double date with Zed and Addison, but it was as if neither one of them could bring themselves to take that final step. Not just yet. There was something nice about where they were at now. Comfortable. But, Bree thought to herself, they couldn't stay stuck in this stage for much longer.

There was some progress being made, though, in Bree's Zombie-tongue. Zed had translated a little for her on the date, but if she was being honest, she could understand a reasonable amount of what Bonzo had said. It was just that she wanted it to be a surprise when she was confident enough to finally speak fully in Zombie.

It kind of threw a wrench into the works when it was announced that all human students would soon be required to take a Zombie-tongue class. It was another part of the gradual integration program; Mr Zeck, the former janitor and zombie teacher, had even been offered the position of teaching (and this time, he wouldn't have to still be the janitor too). Of course, this would help, Bree wasn't going to deny that. It would just be a lot harder to surprise Bonzo now that he knew she would be learning Zombie-tongue anyway.

But she would still be able to talk to him. That's what mattered. And on top of that, she had gotten a head start on studying. Bonzo was already excited by the announcement. More people would be able to understand him, which meant more potential friends. Bree couldn't help beaming at him as he rambled on about it to their whole table at lunch, although she seemed to be the only one giving him her full attention. His excitement was contagious and, despite what it did to her plans, Bree was all too eager to start the official Zombie-tongue class.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Eliza caught up to Bree on her way to the cheer lounge, heading for computer club herself.

"Hey," she greeted her, "I guess you won't need my tutoring anymore."

"What? No, I'll _totally_ still need it! You can teach me to speak way more casually than I'm gonna learn in school. And specific things, too, things I actually wanna say to Bonzo, and-"

" _And_ you want to impress Bonzo by being more advanced than everybody else?"

Bree hmphed slightly at that, holding her head up.

"This is not about impressing him, it's about making things easier for him."

"… But it's also about impressing him." Eliza smirked.

"OK, so maybe it is, is that so bad?" Bree suddenly turned hesitant, "… Is it…?"

"Learning a language basically just so you can talk to a guy and get him to like you, as if he didn't already?" she paused, but then shook her head, smiling, "For once, I'm gonna say no. You're doing this 'cause you honestly like him. You're taking it seriously. Nothing wrong with that, and _everything_ right with it."

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Bree had been trying to keep the tutoring thing under wraps, just in case it worked its way back to Bonzo and ruined the surprise before she was ready. But she should have known that, sooner or later, Addison would figure it out. She couldn't hide anything from her best friend. They had just gotten their first Zombie-tongue tests back.

"Excellent work, Bree!" Mr Zeck had said with a surprised smile as he handed hers over. Addison had shot her a questioning look then as they filed out of the classroom, she had pulled Bree aside.

"What did you ge- An _A_?" she took hold of Bree's arm and practically forced her to show the paper, then looked up at her in amazement, "How did you get an A? I didn't even come close and I'm actually _dating_ a zombie. Then again, _you're_ the one chasing the guy who _only_ speaks Zombie…" she laughed a little but suddenly stopped as she connected the dots. She slowly grinned and grabbed Bree's hands, "Has this got something to do with Bonzo?"

"Sshh, Addy…!" Bree hissed, knowing the boys were coming to meet them, "Yes… I want to surprise him. Eliza's been tutoring me."

"No way!" Addison let out a partially-stifled shriek as they started walking, "This is beyond adorable, have you actually tried talking to him yet?"

"No."

"Well, when are you going to?"

"I guess whenever our next date is gonna be." Bree shrugged.

"You _need_ to tell me how it goes after."

"Of course I will. Like I'm _not_ gonna tell you."

"Tell you what?"

They both jumped at the sound of Zed's voice just a few feet ahead of them. Bonzo was right behind him, instantly drawn to Bree when he saw her.

"Nothing. Just girl talk." Addison waved a hand, not even looking at Zed. She was too interested in Bonzo and Bree.

As per usual, Bonzo had scooped Bree up into a hug, leaving her giggling as she stepped back onto the floor. He noticed the paper in her hand which she hadn't had the chance to put away.

"Gozig…?"

He reached for it but she quickly snatched it away, making sure he didn't see.

"We got our Zombie-tongue tests back today." She said simply and held the paper behind her back. Bonzo gave her a teasing smile.

"Zoroz?"

She scoffed, bringing a hand to her chest in mock offense, "I am not _embarrassed_! I didn't do too bad, actually."

She slipped the paper into her bag and grinned up at him confidently.

"Za?"

" _Za!_ " she gently prodded his chest. She wasn't giving away too much with that.

Bonzo took her hand.

"Geh, Breeska," he pulled her a step closer, "Ru, ag zet, grag zall?"

"A walk?" Now, that would be an opportunity.

"Za. Zav garzeek?" _This weekend?_

Still nothing too complicated that she'd have to act like she needed Zed to translate. She nodded. Still watching from the side, Addison was trying to keep herself from bursting.

"Addy?" Zed said, confused, "What's up? They've been on a couple dates already, why so cheery over a walk?"

"You'll find out."

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

There were still a _lot_ of "no zombies" signs up around Seabrook. And some places that allowed zombies to enter, but had restricted sections. They weren't really planning on going anywhere, just to wander and enjoy each other's company, but the sight of the signs and posters was obviously bringing the mood down. He tried not to show it, but Bree could tell Bonzo noticed every one of them.

The park was open to them, though. There were patrol officers walking around but it was _open_. A few other zombies were out and about, but they seemed to be the only human/zombie pair and they were getting a few funny looks here and there. Bree squeezed Bonzo's hand tighter and offered a sweet smile. He felt just a bit better and smiled back at her. He could be here with her and that was a start. What did some sour-faced humans matter? Things would improve, someday. He tried not to think about it and they kept walking. Bree chatted a little and Bonzo was happy to just listen to her for a while. Until-

"Bonzo…?"

He looked down.

"… Ru grodge?"

He couldn't help smiling at her using Zombie, but he definitely didn't suspect anything just yet.

"Za."

"Zazig?" She came to a stop, forcing him to stop as well. _Really?_

Bonzo stood for a moment, looking at her. Sure, things weren't moving as fast in Seabrook as he'd have wanted, but Bree was here, making this effort for him. He wasn't going to lie to her and pretend he was fine with everything, though. He glanced around, catching a couple of humans' eyes who quickly turned away. He sighed.

"Agru ja'zon agz aza…" _They shouldn't stare at us…_

He felt a hand on his cheek. Bree, standing on tip-toes, carefully titled his head down to face her. He thought she would be about to ask if he was worried about those people. He didn't expect her to be able to understand him well enough yet to be answering him.

"Agrap zu agru aza," _let them stare_ , she murmured, "Agz zegrere, zet." _We're staying together._

Bonzo laughed lightly, taking her hand from his cheek and kissing it. What she said touched him, but not as much as her saying it in his language. "Zon bragan zu ru?" _You don't mind?_

"Zon," Bree shook her head, gently pulling on his hand to start walking again, alongside a low stone wall, "Gar-ziga. Ru zreek, zrill zet, zaff zet…" _I like you. You're sweet, talented, funny…_ She listed off the things she'd asked Eliza to teach her, "Ag agrap aza ro, zu ru. Zon zorog." _I'll take people staring if it's for you. I don't care._

"Breeska…?"

He was definitely surprised. She couldn't have learned all of this in school.

"Za?" her voice was quiet.

"… Agz zazig garzalk…" _We're having a real conversation_ , "Gra'zon ru…" _You couldn't…_

They came to a stop once more, a little further out of sight from anyone, almost hidden beneath the tree branches. Bree looked down, a coy smile playing on her lips. She shrugged, swaying back and forth.

"I had a little help."

"Goro?"

"Eliza. I asked her if she'd tutor me, like… a month before the class started at school."

Bonzo could barely contain himself. He engulfed Bree in a hug and swung her around, making her laugh and cling to him. He put her down on the wall in front of him so they were just about face-to-face and, without even a second of hesitation, he kissed her. She certainly hadn't been expecting that but her arms quickly came to wrap around his neck and her eyes fluttered closed.

She was learning his language, and it wasn't just because she had to. She was doing it for _him_. And she wanted to be with him no matter what other humans thought. Slowly, Bonzo pulled away only a small distance, leaving Bree breathless, before he hugged her tightly yet again. His lips rested just above her ear.

"Gar-garziga, Breeska." It came out as a mere whisper, but she heard it.

"Gar-garziga."

Bonzo nuzzled into her hair, running his fingers through it. Bree sighed, completely relaxing in his arms. They were both thinking the same thing.

 _I guess that makes it official._

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Eliza had just turned away from the cauli-brains stand and taken one single step forwards when she was lifted off the ground and crushed by a pair of strong arms, someone's chin on top of her head.

"Wh- Bonzo? What…?"

" _Gazaru…!_ " he shook her side-to-side, a little too aggressively, "Gazar, gazar, gazar, _gazar_ …!"

He pressed an overly-enthusiastic kiss to the top of her head.

" _Wow_ , OK, uh, what are you thanking me for?"

" _Breeska!_ "

And with that, he let her go, his arms open wide as he spun round, heading back home. As he made his way up the porch steps, his hands drummed on the railings, and the various instruments placed there.

"Ohh…" Eliza nodded slowly as it clicked, smiling.


	6. Little Zombie Angel

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

The upload schedule's getting slightly thrown off again but I should have more time for writing this week - my parents are away. For once, I'm not uploading this after midnight, it's 9:30pm. I'm thinking of getting a head start on tomorrow's BtB tonight though~

This one matches up with the last BtB, One Kid Too Many. More of Bonzo and Zoey, but this time with a little Bronzo-y goodness thrown in \^^/ I only have a couple more chapters planned for AGAZ, but I got a Tumblr anon not too long ago that inspired a kind of AU-type-thing for if Bree and Bonzo met earlier in the movie. Let's see if I can get to writing that, since I have my Big Fic Project to get to as well, and there's still more BtB to write...!

* * *

Little Zombie Angel

Bonzo would take any chance he got to spend time with Bree, especially when he got to see her in some new situation. So when it came up that Mr Necrodopolous had to work late one night, Zed and Addison had a date and Eliza was swamped with work for a computer club project, he offered to watch Zoey for the night if he could bring along his girlfriend (his human. Cheerleader. _Girlfriend_ ). The curfew had been lifted recently, and both Zed and Bonzo wanted to take advantage of that fact. He knew Bree and Zoey already loved each other, but they had only ever really hung out with Addison around. And although he liked Addison, Bonzo wanted to give them some one-on-one bonding time. With him. Obviously.

They had been _officially_ together for a little over a month now and they were practically inseparable. Eliza had claimed they were worse than Zed and Addison on more than one occasion and it didn't look like they were going to let up anytime soon. When Bonzo texted Bree asking for "help" with babysitting Zoey, it was clear how eager she was from the string of smiley, clapping and heart emojis he got back. He couldn't help smirking down at his Z-band screen and shaking his head, wondering how it was possible for someone to be that cute.

He met Bree at the barrier a couple of minutes before they had to be at Zed's house, hiding behind the gate as she walked through so he could jump out to scare her but once he had, he lifted her up into a hug. She playfully smacked his arm as he put her down and took his hand.

Zed had already left when they arrived and got the rundown from his dad that Bonzo was already so familiar with – Zoey was watching TV, dinner was waiting to be microwaved and have her in bed by 9pm. Zed was due home soon after that and he could take over. When Zoey saw Bree had joined Bonzo that night, she squealed and bounded over, Puppy chasing after her. Bree hugged her, grinning, and clapped at the little girl's pure excitement. Suddenly, Bonzo understood how Eliza felt whenever he showed up on the nights _she_ was babysitting. Still, he was happy to watch the scene play out.

"Wait, wait, wait…!" Zoey hurriedly turned away to switch off the TV and tried to shove the couch back a little. Bonzo came up beside her and pushed it back with ease, curious as to why she was clearing space, "Thanks, Bonnie. Bree!" she grabbed her hand and pulled her into the centre of the room, "Watch, I've been practicing!"

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Bonzo came to somewhat regret his decision very quickly.

With Bree there, he had expected the three of them playing around together, cuddling up to Bree as Zoey giggled at them and sneaking a kiss or two when she wasn't looking. What he got instead was Zoey asking Bree to teach her cheer routines with Puppy pouncing at their feet, while he sat on the floor watching with Zander in his lap. He wasn't really complaining, he was content to watch and join in with their cheering through Zander, he'd just been hoping for something more than that. All he'd actually done so far was microwave Zoey's dinner.

"OK, and you're arms come up… in… and down…" it _was_ fun to watch how she led Zoey through the moves, "Around, clap, clap, and up on your right foot… You got it!"

Bonzo clapped Zander's paws together along with Bree but he still felt a twinge of something as he did. He wasn't so sure what, exactly, but it wasn't a good feeling. He looked down at Zander in his lap and brought him up to his face. He sat there, just staring at the stuffed dog for a second.

"Ru, zet, garziga'g, za?" _you still love me, right?_ he muttered, "Zanderka?"

He didn't get an answer.

The sound of two giggling voices came from the other side of the room and Bonzo turned his head to see Zoey tugging on Bree's sleeve. Bree leaned down so Zoey could whisper – or pretend to whisper, she clearly meant for him to hear – in her ear.

"I think he's jealous!"

Bree grinned down at her, "I think you're right." She turned back to her boyfriend, a teasing look on her face.

Bonzo's expression flattened. He looked back down at Zander and pouted, then kissed his nose and hugged him tight, glaring at the girls as he did so.

"Garziga Zanderka grog." _I love Zander now._

Bree tried to act offended, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing, just a little.

"Are you replacing me with a stuffed dog?"

"Za."

"We still have the real dog!" Zoey cheered, scooping Puppy up off the floor.

"She makes a good point." Bree nodded.

Bonzo put Zander down, very gently so he sat up properly, and stood. He walked over to Bree, looking down at her with a fake hurt expression. Zoey, having seen Zed and Addison in this position a few times before and fully knowing what was happening, grabbed Zander and held him up to watch with her.

"Garzog zazig gezer ag?" _Is a dog really better than me?_

Bree tilted her head, pretending to consider the question. "I think it's about a tie. Don't you, Zoey?"

"Yeah!"

Bonzo gave them both puppy-dog eyes and Bree chuckled, gently patting his arm.

"Get down here."

As he leaned down so she could kiss his cheek, Zoey let out a short squeal, quickly muffling it in Zander's fur. Bonzo and Bree could only laugh and blush.

Bonzo glanced at the clock. 8:50pm. "Geh, Zoeka. Grog zu garzeep."

"Aw, no!" Now it was her turn to break out the puppy-dog eyes, with Bree for back-up. Bonzo looked at her.

"Zon agrap." _Don't encourage her._

They didn't stop. Zoey picked up Puppy and turned him around to face Bonzo. A triple threat.

"Pweeeease?"

Before she knew what was happening, Bonzo had swooped down and hoisted Zoey, and Puppy, too, up into the air. Zoey shrieked as Bree tried to hide her laughter. Puppy jumped down and started yapping around Bonzo's ankles.

"Bree, help!" Zoey reached over Bonzo's shoulder for her as he headed for the door. Bree reached back but made no effort to actually save her. She was too busy laughing. Zoey reached down instead, "Puppy…!"

The little dog stood on his hind legs, pawing at Bonzo, but to no avail. Zoey screwed up her face in determination and went to crawl over his shoulder. Bree gasped when she was about to fall but Bonzo caught her time. She wasn't hurt; in fact, she was enjoying herself. Bonzo flipped her upside down, grinning as she made a noise somewhere between a giggle and a squeal. He had her upright again in a second. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she gave him a sad look.

"Garzeep grog?" _Will you go to bed now?_ he asked, raising his eyebrows. She looked away, towards Bree, who just folded her arms and shot her the same look as Bonzo, "Za?"

"Za…" Zoey said with an exaggerated sigh, then she held up a finger, " _If_ … you bring Bree over again?"

Bonzo glanced at Bree, who smiled. He couldn't help smiling back, "Magra." _Maybe._

Bree followed him a few steps behind as Bonzo carried Zoey upstairs. Despite the little girl's best efforts, she ended up drifting off to sleep nestled into the crook of his neck. He rested his chin on top of her head and went to tuck her into bed with Bree watching from the door. He walked back over to her and this time, when he leaned down, she pecked his lips. Neither of them noticed Zoey roll over and open one tired eye.

"Aww…!"

They jumped apart. Bonzo tried to give her a stern look but he had to smile, " _Garzeep!_ "

Bree took his hand and pulled him out of the room as Zoey closed her eyes again. Zed wasn't home yet – they still had a little time to themselves.


	7. Sounds Like A Fantasy

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

Well, this is the last full one-shot of Another Girl, Another Zombie! The next chapter will be a series of short scenes and drabbles from various times in Bonzo and Bree's relationship, but here's the ending to the main storyline. Bonzo reflecting back on how far they've come~ And stimming with Bree's hair and fingers ^^

I've been fleshing out ideas for that Bronzo AU idea so let's see where that goes. BtB will continue as long as I keep coming up with zombie-related headcanons. And the Big Project will hopefully be coming soon...

* * *

Sounds Like A Fantasy

He found it hard to believe, if he was honest. How a big, lumbering zombie like him who didn't even speak English and who had absolutely no sense of personal space had found himself with a girl like Bree. He was practically in awe of her. Her support for Addison, her willingness to accept zombies when he knew how scared she had been at first, her appreciation for his art and his music, her unrivalled pep when she was cheering. Her love. The fact that he had earned her love.

It had been a few months since that day in the park and those months had been filled with zombie mashes and pep rallies, sweet dates alone together and fun double dates with Zed and Addison, squeals from Zoey and eyerolls from Eliza. Facing the zombiephobia still present around much of Seabrook side-by-side and celebrating every little step forward.

There had been a day not so long ago that Bonzo didn't know this girl. That he had no idea she existed, and she had no idea he existed. It was the pep rally at the very start of the school year when they had both caught one another's eye, but if it hadn't been for Zed and Addison paving the way, that could have been as far as they got. Maybe they would have forgotten about each other sooner or later if Zed hadn't saved Addison that day, or if Addison had given in to her cousin and left the zombies alone for good. But everything fell into place and now, he had his greeska.

Between Bonzo and Bree, and Zed and Addison, it was clear that Eliza was stuck somewhere between cooing (in an affectionately mocking way) at how cute they all were and just ripping off her Z-band to finally get them to stop being so sickeningly sweet. But her annoyance would always be met with a smug smile from the boys and the insistence that she'd probably find herself with her own human girlfriend someday. She always denied it.

That became their lunchtime routine. Zed beside Addison, Bonzo beside Bree, Eliza somewhere in between pulling a face while trying to pretend she wasn't smiling at their couple-y antics. And one day, it got him thinking.

Zed planted a short but sweet kiss on Addison's cheek and Eliza rolled her eyes.

"Ugh," she muttered, but they all saw the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, "Gross."

Zed and Addison both laughed. Bree bit her lip to keep herself from joining them and Bonzo smirked, throwing an arm around her. He cast a quick glance over at Eliza and she shot him a look of "I _dare_ you" back, then he looked back down to Bree.

"Geh, Breeska…?"

"Hm?" she turned around and his lips were suddenly on hers, if only for a second or two. Long enough that Eliza reached across the table and shoved him, unable to keep herself from grinning. Bree, also smiling, and blushing a little, too, lightly smacked his arm.

"Don't tease her."

"Goreez zon?" _Why not?_

She just shook her head slightly and went back to the conversation she was having with Addison. Bonzo began twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. Bree looked back at him with a small smile for just a moment and he drifted into thought as she turned away again.

He remembered talking to Zed at the block party where he and Bree had their first date.

" _Y'know, I already knew I loved her but, man, I think I'm really in love with Addy."_ Zed had admitted to him.

Bonzo had frowned, curious. _"Zama zig, za?"_ _It's the same thing, isn't it?_

There wasn't a distinction between the two in Zombie-tongue. There was "garziga" – love – and "ziga" – like – and that was it.

" _Not exactly…"_ He had been staring at her across the street. Bonzo just let him be.

He didn't really get it at the time – how fast Zed had fallen for Addison and how adamant he was about it. Bonzo knew he liked Bree, _really_ liked her, and he knew he _could_ love her. He realised that when they were alone in the light garden together, when they had almost kissed, he realised he was definitely going to fall for this girl. But it felt like it should take more time.

Then he was starting to stare at Bree in the same way Zed stared at Addison, more and more each time he saw her, it seemed.

He was staring at her right now, his left elbow propped up on the table with his chin in his hand, while his right arm lay across Bree's shoulders and his fingers played with her hair. She looked so comfortable nestled into him like that, carrying on her and Addison's conversation. Bonzo was lost in thought, though, his lunch forgotten and all his attention on his girlfriend.

He hadn't expected to say it to her, not as soon as he did. But in the moment, what he was feeling really couldn't be described in any other way. He just loved her – he cared about her, admired her, respected her, appreciated her, and she proved she felt the same way by making the effort to learn Zombie-tongue for him. He _had_ to kiss her, and he _had_ to tell her.

His right hand dipped down to grab hold of hers and as he played with her fingers, she giggled softly. Opposite, Addison smiled at them and leaned a little closer to Zed. They all ignored Eliza's fake gagging. Bonzo tore his eyes away long enough to see the lovestruck look Zed was giving Addison and he wondered if he looked at Bree the same way. He wondered how long he had looked at her that way.

Zed had told him he was in love. At first, Bonzo didn't understand it. How could he be so sure when he was still so young and had only known Addison for a short time?

Slowly, Bonzo laced his fingers together with Bree's and she paused in what she was saying to bring their joined hands to her lips and lightly kiss his knuckles. She tipped her head back, smiling up at him so sweetly, so beautifully, onto his shoulder, far enough back that her nose came to brush against his chin. Bonzo closed his eyes for a few seconds, just enjoying the feeling, then he gently kissed her forehead.

He decided then and there that he understood perfectly.


	8. Snapshots

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

Here we are at the end of Another Girl, Another Zombie! We're finishing on a few little drabbles and scenes set at various points in the first, I'd say, year and a half, maybe, of Bronzo's relationship~ You wanna know why this took so long? I wanted the 3 'Friendly Competition' drabbles to be done as the first two with Bonzo "winning" and the last one with Zed "winning" but I just couldn't figure out exactly what to write for Zed's win, so I changed it to "they're not even competing anymore". But I've had the rest done for a few days now and I'm honestly quite proud of them!

BtB is still going, I'm just struggling to figure out how to write the couple of ideas I have for it atm. I've started plotting out the Big Project and the Bronzo AU more in depth so they should be coming soon enough, and I just came up with another one-shot collection idea today - one centred around my headcanons about the background zombies! (Speaking of the BG zombies, I mention Izabelle once in here, if you haven't read BtB, she's the one with dark curly hair and long green sleeves, I headcanon her as Bonzo's cousin. And Bonzo's not-so-good relationship with his parents is explained in BtB as well~)

One more note - any other writers who might want some help with Zombie-tongue translations, I've posted a breakdown of mine on Tumblr and anyone can use it, in whole or in part, as long as you credit me, or if you're just interested in how mine works, you can check it out. It's all tagged as "zombie tongue"

* * *

Snapshots

Eliza Finds Out

"No. _No…!_ You're kidding me. You too? _Who?_ "

"… Breeska."

"Who's that?"

"Addy's friend on the squad."

"So, a cheerleader? _Another_ cheerleader?"

"Gozig bragan?"

"The _problem_ , Bonzo, is that it's the cheerleaders who still want us gone."

"Addison doesn't! And Bree's her best friend, don't you think that counts fo-"

" _Addison_ chose cheer over you. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."

"She didn't choose cheer over me, Bucky just won't let her talk to me!"

"And she gave in to him."

"Bak Breeska… Garzedd-zig, _zazig_ , agru garziga'g."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Agru z'ag aza, droz grog."

" _All_ the time?"

"Za."

"But you haven't talked to her."

"… Zon…"

"Look, I just don't want you to get hurt. Either of you. And this could hurt."

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

My Human Girlfriend

It took a while for him to tell them, because he knew exactly what they would say and he just didn't want to deal with it. He only said it now because his mom had asked.

"Where've you been going lately, by the way?"

Bonzo had paused on his way out the door, turning to her with a confused look. She hadn't ever really been interested. Even then, it was only a passing question.

"I just noticed you weren't off with Zed or Eliza. Or Izabelle. I don't see why you'd be going into Seabrook without any of them."

He'd hesitated, looking away.

"Zonzrea…" _Nowhere…_

She'd rolled her eyes and was going back to the kitchen when he decided to just get it over with.

"Ag…" his voice went quiet, "… garzi'ska…"

Her head had jerked up at the use of "-ska", rather than "-ka", and she had turned around, suddenly giving him her full attention. A rare occurrence.

"A _human_?"

"… Za."

"So, you're probably not risking anything speaking Zombie all the time, are you?" she asked, though it sounded more like a statement. Bonzo had expected her to take it that way but he still couldn't help feeling irritated.

"Agru zrudge garzalk Zombie. Z'ag," _She learned to speak Zombie. For me_ , "Agru zon zorog." _She doesn't care._

He left. It didn't matter what she thought of it. Bree was waiting for him.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Friendly Competition #1

It was like they were trying to out-do each other, and Eliza wasn't really sure how she felt about it. Zed would take advantage of his towering height over Addison to smoothly stoop down and kiss her out of nowhere, and Bonzo, standing nearby with his arms around Bree and his chin on the top of her head, would suddenly lift her up, turning her around to kiss her, and shoot Zed a challenging smirk.

Eliza just hoped they weren't going to make a habit out of it.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

My Zombie Boyfriend

She _had_ told them about Bonzo. Sort of. Not everything. Barely anything, in fact. She'd managed to dodge the questions that might give away too much for a short while. But she couldn't avoid it for much longer.

"It's just that we don't even know anything about this boy," her mom pointed out one day as they sat down for dinner, "You haven't even told us his name. And it's beginning to look like this might be something serious so we really should know."

Bree had taken a sip of water, hoping to stall for time.

"Just tell us his name, at least."

She'd hesitated, ducked her head, stuffed a forkful of pasta into her mouth and mumbled out "Bonzo."

Her dad gave her a stern look and she swallowed. "What was that, sweetie?"

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Bree said more clearly, "His name is Bonzo."

When she got no immediate response, she cracked open one eye to see their surprised expressions.

"That… sounds familiar, _have_ you mentioned him before…?" her mom looked thoughtful.

" _Bonzo_? With…" her dad trailed off, turning to his wife, who gave him a look asking him not to react badly. He turned back to Bree, "With a 'Z' in there?"

She slowly nodded. Once again, he looked at her mom.

"And you're just fine with this?"

"Now, honey, we don't know anything else about him, let's not j-"

"Except that he's a zombie!"

Bree dropped her fork, "Addy's dating a zombie and look at them!"

" _That's_ where I've heard his name! He's a friend of Zed's, isn't he?" For a moment, Bree got her hopes up, but then-

"Not one of those that went feral at the homecoming game…?" His wife shot him a warning glare.

"That was not their fault, you know that!" Bree said defensively, "Their Z-bands got hacked."

"And who's to say it won't happen again?"

Her mom held up a hand. "They got updates, that's not a problem anymore."

"There is _always_ a chance."

"Daddy, will you just listen to me? Bonzo is the sweetest guy I have ever met, trust me, I am perfectly safe with him."

" _Bree…_ "

" _Dad!_ "

A heavy silence followed, Bree anxiously pushing her food around with her fork, her dad struggling to keep his concern hidden and her mom watching them both, ready for a full-blown argument.

"… Excuse me."

Bree stood and headed for the stairs, ignoring her parents calling out to her. Her dad went to follow her but his wife carefully laid a hand on his arm.

"Let her go."

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Friendly Competition #2

They were definitely making a habit out of it.

Zed and Addison had officially been dating for half a year and he had greeted her at school that morning with a bunch of red roses – a classic, of course. Bree had "aww"ed at the romantic gesture but she was amazed when, a couple of months later, on _their_ six month anniversary, Bonzo had presented her with an array of flowers handcrafted from metal wires, sheer fabric stretched over them to look like petals. They'd certainly last much longer than Zed's roses, and took a lot of care to make.

Zed stood between Addison and Eliza, frustrated at being one-upped. The girls looked at one another and shook their heads.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

First Anniversary

It had to be something meaningful. Something personal. Something special.

Bonzo knew Bree wouldn't care about getting some big, lavish gift for their one year anniversary, that she loved and appreciated everything he'd made for her so far – because practically everything he gave Bree, he had made himself – but this was too important an occasion to give her just _anything_. He wanted to really show her what this past year had meant to him, and what she meant to him.

He was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to think of something. He only had around a week left and depending on what he decided to do, it could potentially take up all of his free time. And it had to be _perfect_.

It was getting late, almost midnight, but that wasn't too unusual for him. Eventually, his eyes started drifting around the room, over the clutter and mess. He chuckled at the memory of Bree's face when she first saw it; she definitely did not appreciate what he considered "organised chaos". Then his gaze came to rest on the new coveralls he was halfway through customising. He needed a few more supplies before he could finish them…

 _The coveralls._

He suddenly stood up and threw open his closet, not caring when one door banged against the wall. There was a box inside, on a shelf, full of old coveralls he had grown out of and scraps of fabric he hadn't used. Zombie uniforms meant something to them, they had started out being just another form of oppression but they had each reclaimed their individuality in customising them, and turned it around. They made them their own, and Bonzo could remember Bree saying something about that on their very first date, in the light garden.

Something meaningful.

He dropped the box on the bedroom floor and was rifling through it when his dad appeared at the door, groggy and agitated. Bonzo didn't notice.

"Bonzo, what are you doing at this hour? I've got work in the morning."

"Abraza." _Sorry_ , he muttered absentmindedly. He was too focused on his search. He pulled out a coat and looked at it, then curled his lip and tossed it aside.

"Whatever you're doing can wait, get to bed."

He turned his head for a brief second, "Briz." _Busy_. He threw a handful of fabric aside.

"I can see that," his dad said, rubbing his eye, "What's so important you can't do it tomorrow?"

"Varkra." _Work_.

He didn't want to bring up Bree to him, guessing where it could go. Since he clearly wasn't going to stop, his dad groaned and gave up, going back to bed. Though whether or not he, or his mom, got any sleep was none of Bonzo's concern. A minute or two later, he had found an old jacket, navy blue, from before he'd developed a taste for ripping off his sleeves. There was some slight wear on the front, a couple of strategic tears he had made, a few small splatters of russet red paint along the bottom, which may have been an accident, but that only meant it had something of _him_ to it. He slowly grinned and stood up, not bothering to clear up the mess. This was the priority.

Addison had given him some Mighty Shrimps logo patches, merchandise from an event some time ago he couldn't remember right now. He had a few ribbons somewhere, and some tiny grey scraps that he was sure were close enough to silver. A pot of black fabric paint from the cupboard and a couple of brushes. Needle and thread. Ready.

Red ribbons were tightly curled into miniature roses, with green ribbon leaves. The grey fabric scraps were balled up and sewn into place to resemble tiny pom-poms. Soon, he had a small pile of them. Next, he laid the jacket face-down on an old sheet and painted an elegant string of Zombie characters across the back: "Breeska greeska".

Something personal.

With a thinner brush, he painted small details onto the red drops of paint already there, turning them into roses as well. As the paint began to dry, he carefully stitched the ribbon roses and fabric pom-poms, alternating, in an arc around the lettering. The paint would need some more time to dry completely but in the morning (or, more likely, the afternoon, with Bonzo's haphazard sleeping schedule), he would sew one of the Mighty Shrimp patches onto the front pocket and add the details to the rest of the red paint splatters.

He took a moment to look over his progress and smiled.

Something special.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Friendly Competition #3

It was starting to get out of hand now. Eliza had been sitting down in the cafeteria for barely two minutes before Zed and Addison arrived. Zed threw an arm around Addison's shoulder as soon as they were seated opposite Eliza and she leaned into him, giving him a peck on the cheek and looking up at him with bright eyes and a bright smile. Zed said something Eliza didn't quite catch and Addison giggled.

And only a moment later, Bonzo sat down beside Eliza with Bree about to take her place next to him but before she could even touch her chair, he had pulled her into his lap. She let out a short squeal and laughed as he hugged her close. They weren't even really trying to compete this time, but it was still annoying.

And Eliza was most definitely _not_ hiding a smile.

\- ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER ZOMBIE -

Morning Person vs Night Owl

Her parents had specifically told her not to have anyone round while they were away that weekend. Especially not overnight. And definitely not her zombie boyfriend. But he was here and he was in her bed and he was waking up beside her except…

He _wasn't_ waking up. He was fast asleep, his face pressed against one arm while the other lay loosely around her waist. Bree sat up, carefully pushing his arm aside, and reached for her glasses. She'd been lying there for a while, snuggling into him and loving the feeling, but he certainly was not waking up. She took a moment to look at him and smiled. She couldn't be mad at him for it. In his sleep, Bonzo pulled the pillow Bree had been using to his chest to hug and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. _He's too cute._ She could let him sleep a little longer while she got ready.

She half expected him to wander into the bathroom to wrap his arms around her once more or at least be sitting up on the bed when she came back, waiting. But he was still sleeping. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Bonzo?" she whispered, lying down and brushing his hair from his eyes, "Bon-Bon?"

He just groaned and rolled over. Bree got up again and stood in front of her mirror, ready for her daily morning cheers, but all she had to do was clap once and a pillow hit the back of her head. She froze for a second or two then turned around, one eyebrow quirked, and folded her arms. Bonzo had already rolled over again. She shook her head and walked back to the bed, sitting down so she could see his partially-obscured face.

"You're not gonna get up?"

"Zon." He didn't open his eyes and his voice was muffled by his pillow.

"Not even for me?"

One eye opened, looking at her, "Regur garzeep." _Go back to sleep._

"I'm already dressed," she shrugged, "And I've got morning cheers to do. Gotta get fired up for the day!" She went to stand up but Bonzo grabbed her arm and pulled her back, barely looking up. She fell half on top of him and he hugged her, burying his face in her hair.

"Zon greer. Garzeep, garzi'ska…" _No cheering. Sleep, love…_

Evidently, Bonzo was _not_ a morning person, unlike Bree. She gently pushed him back.

"Did you stay up after I fell asleep?" she asked and he nodded, "Why?"

Bonzo pursed his lips, suddenly self-conscious, "… Gra'zon garzeep." _Couldn't sleep._

"Why not?"

"… Quag ru aza…" _I wanted to watch you._

Bree sighed, smiled and shook her head.

"What am I gonna do with you?"

She lay back down and snuggled closer to him.


	9. I Have Your Back No Matter What

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

I'm bringing back AGAZ! For as long as I can keep coming up with Bronzo story ideas~

It's Friday, and Friday is Bonzo Day~!

* * *

I Have Your Back No Matter What

By now, Bree's dad had (mostly) warmed up to the idea of his daughter dating a zombie. It had been a little tense when they met but nothing drastic happened, but what still confused Bree was why Bonzo always avoided talking about his own parents, and why he never brought up her meeting them. And why it seemed she only ever went to his house in Zombie Town when they weren't home. In fact, Bonzo didn't seem to spend much time with his family – or at least with his mom and dad. One day, when he was over at her house, Bree's curiosity got the better of her.

They were sitting together on her bed, Bree half in Bonzo's lap, watching a movie on her laptop when she worked up the nerve to say something. She tipped her head back onto his shoulder and looked up at him.

"Bon-Bon?"

He glanced down at her and pressed his lips to her temple, "Hm?"

"Um…" how could she ask this? "… Are you…gonna introduce me to your parents soon?"

Bonzo's eyes widened for a split second and he quickly looked away to hide it, "Ru…" he turned back to her, calmer now, "Ru zon quag." _You don't want to._

His fingers were fiddling with the hem of her shirt. She knew his nervous stims by now.

"I do!" she gently shook his arm with a reassuring smile, "We've been together for _months_ , you've met my parents, shouldn't I meet yours?"

He had hoped he could avoid the subject a little while longer, at least until he could figure out how to explain it to her. It took him a few seconds to answer, "Zon. Zongro garzedd-zig." _No. That's a bad idea._

"What? Why?"

"Greh zazig." _It just is._

Her brow furrowed in confusion and she paused the movie, "Bonzo, I just want to meet them, it doesn't have to b-"

"Gra'zon," _You can't_ , he almost snapped and she was stunned, "Ag zon quag." _I don't want to._

Bonzo never spoke so sharply. Not with her, not with anyone.

"I…" she shook her head and held up her hands, "You don't _want_ me to? I-Is it… Is it _me_?"

"Zon! Zon ru, Breeska," _It's not you, Bree_ , he said firmly, suddenly taking her by the hands and pulling her closer, "Gar-garziga. Bak, agru…" _I love you._ _But, them…_

He couldn't finish his sentence. He sucked in a breath and sniffed, his eyes down, and Bree's concerns shifted. She had a feeling this was serious, but she knew it was important for her to know.

"What about them?"

He was quiet, his eyes downcast and his fingers now stimming with the bedsheets. Bree could see droplets forming in his eyes.

"Agru zon garziga'g..." _They don't love me..._ "Greh, zon _ziga'g_ , zet...!" _They don't even like me...!_

Bree immediately reached out to stroke his cheek, "Oh, Bonzo...!" she tilted his head down to look at her, "That... that can't be true, they're your family."

Bonzo looked away for a moment and shrugged, "Agru zon zorog," _They don't care_ , then turned back to her, "Zon zorog vi ag got, z'ag gruzic, grarg, zet," _They don't care if I eat, or about my music or art_ , "Agru..." he trailed off, hurriedly wiping away the tears threatening to spill over his eyelids.

"Bon-Bon?" Bree almost whispered, placing a hand on his arm. Bonzo let out a shaky breath.

"Agru zon garzedd-zig ag bragan." _They don't believe I'm autistic._

"What? They don't... _believe_ you?"

He shook his head, "Egrall zonmagra zu zombie. Reez, deh zer-garzand." _They say it's impossible for a zombie. Because of the Z-bands._

"How dare they?" it surprised Bonzo how angry she sounded all of a sudden, "How can anybody treat their own son like that?"

"Breeska..."

"Do Zed and Eliza's parents know about this?"

"Za. Agru grep vi magra." _Yeah. They help when they can._

"What about Izabelle?"

Now, he smiled, "Izaka garziga'g," _Iza loves me_ , "Agz... zama bragan." _We have the same condition._

Bree nodded in understanding and moved her hand to his, "And her parents? Your aunt and uncle?"

"Agru paka, ag maka janook... zreck..." _Her dad, my mom's brother... he tries..._ "Bak, Izaka maka grodge. Garziga'gru." _But Iza's mom is great. I love her._

There was a pause. Bree wasn't sure how to feel. She was upset and angry and sorry, but at the same time, thankful that he had some support. Her voice softened.

"So this is why you're always over at someone else's house?"

"Za. Kazru droz grog z'agz garzrea." _We fight a lot at home._

Bree huffed, "I swear, if I _did_ meet them, I'd give them a piece of my mind."

"Breeska..."

"I would! So maybe I really shouldn't," she folded her arms and leaned back against his shoulder, "Or maybe I really _should_..."

"Zrag ru z'ag, greh," _I just need you with me_ , "Droz." _That's enough._

She wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her back into his lap.


End file.
